"Strange. You're playing this badly, and Kaijo's coach still isn't subbing you out?"
As the second quarter began and both teams returned to the court, Taisuke spotted Tanaka at once. He walked straight up to him, sneering as he mocked him. Anger flashed across Tanaka's face. Being worse in skill didn't mean he would just let someone humiliate him. He was about to step forward to retaliate, but Takumi grabbed him from behind and pulled him back.
Tanaka turned around in confusion. Takumi patted his shoulder, stepped in front of him, and faced Taisuke directly.
"You've really got some nerve," Takumi said calmly. "Picking on a first-year rookie and acting like you're something special."
"What did you say?" Taisuke's expression instantly darkened. He narrowed his eyes at Takumi and snapped, "Don't think you're impressive just because you latched onto a few strong teammates. Without Kota and Kise, a player at your level could never win championships year after year!"
As he spoke, Taisuke clenched his fists, prepared for a confrontation. Yet in the face of such cutting words, Takumi didn't get angry at all. Instead, he nodded cheerfully. "You're right. I really have benefited from Kota-senpai."
Taisuke's mouth fell open slightly. He clearly didn't understand what Takumi was getting at. On the other side of the court, Kota rested his hands on his knees, quietly observing the situation.
"Takao, aren't you going to rein in your player?" Kota asked, turning his head.
Takao rubbed his chin and replied with a grin, "It's just a little scuffle between juniors. Since no one's throwing punches, let them be."
Of course, Takao had seen Taisuke's behavior clearly, but he had his own calculations. Taisuke had the clear advantage against Tanaka. Letting him provoke freely was more beneficial than harmful. If it could spark Takumi's anger and make him play recklessly, that would be even better news for Shutoku.
Seeing Takao's unconcerned expression, Kota licked his lips and revealed a slightly malicious smile. "If you want to play it like that, then don't blame me for being inhuman."
Takao froze. "What did you say?"
"Nothing." Kota shook his head, his gaze locking onto Takumi as his lips moved slightly.
Zone Mode: Shared Version
Invisible to the eye, a faint glow spread from Kota and wrapped itself around Takumi. At the same time, the referee's whistle sounded. The second quarter began with Kaijo ball.
...
Kota advanced past half court at a relaxed pace. Facing Takao's defense, he adjusted his rhythm with a few between-the-legs dribbles, drove right, pulled the ball back, and rose for a mid-range jumper.
Clang.
The shot bounced off the rim. Kota didn't mind; he wasn't a god and couldn't make every shot. Besides, he'd already placed Zone Mode on Takumi. For the entire second quarter, he could afford to take it a little easier. Originally, he'd planned to save that shared slot for Yuki, but Taisuke's taunting had forced a change of plans. As a four-time champion and Kaijo's ace guard, Kota wasn't in a position to personally trade insults with Taisuke. Takumi was the perfect choice to deliver the response.
On the Shutoku offense, Midorima continued his low-activity style from the first quarter. After a simple setup, Takao once again fed the ball inside to Taisuke. Catching the ball slightly outside the paint, Taisuke looked at Tanaka, who was desperately trying to defend him. Without hesitation, Taisuke exploded into him with a power dribble, knocking Tanaka half a step back. He then hopped backward, gathered the ball with both hands, and raised it to shoot.
Unable to withstand the contact, Tanaka could only stand there, praying the mid-range shot would miss. In the air, Taisuke smiled. As an inside player, his shooting wasn't outstanding, but this spot was the one he practiced the most.
"This one's mine!" Taisuke flicked his right fingertips, sending the ball on a perfect arc toward the basket.
Watching that smooth release, despair appeared on Tanaka's face, only for it to suddenly change into shock. Taisuke noticed the change and frowned. What's with that look? I'm about to score and he still looks like that? Totally hopeless…
Already thinking about how he'd mock Tanaka after landing, Taisuke looked back toward the rim. From the feel of the shot, it was guaranteed to go in, but then a sudden arm appeared from nowhere, swatting both the ball and Taisuke's hope straight out of bounds.
Takumi had leapt in from the side, stretching his left arm to the limit. The instant his fingertips brushed the ball, his pupils shifted, his gaze locking onto Taisuke.
"You've really got nothing to be proud of," Takumi said.
The ball, deflected by his fingertips, flew sideways and out of bounds. For a brief moment, the arena fell silent. Then the referee's whistle sounded, and the stands erupted. Countless Kaijo fans leapt to their feet, shouting Takumi's name.
Kota shaded his eyes and whistled. "That block just now… Takumi's forehead was almost at rim height, wasn't it? Amazing."
Takao stood beside him, utterly stunned. "You call that amazing? That's freakish! Since when can just anyone jump high enough to smack the ball near the rim like that?"
If anyone was feeling the biggest shock, it was Taisuke. He stared blankly at the ball while Takumi's words echoed in his ears. His hands trembled as he muttered, "Something like that… is it really possible?"
"Hey! Taisuke, snap out of it! We still have the ball!" Takao shouted, noticing his teammate was shaken.
But from that point on, Taisuke looked as if he'd lost his soul. Not only did he fail repeatedly on offense, but on defense, he hesitated and shrank back when facing Takumi's drives. The score gap shifted rapidly. Midway through the second quarter, it was a 41 to 41 tie game. Empowered by Zone Mode, Takumi grew more dominant with each play. Shutoku's coach, Nakatani, had no choice but to call a timeout.
...
"Taisuke, take a break for now," Nakatani said, looking at the center whose confidence was clearly shattered. "Yuya will take the center position next. Midorima, are you okay?"
Midorima clenched and unclenched his shooting hand. Behind his glasses, his eyes were filled with resolve. "I've been waiting for this moment, Coach."
Back on the court, Kota strolled over to Midorima and adopted a tight defensive stance. This time, as soon as Takao crossed half court, he passed the ball straight to Midorima.
Kota blinked, then grinned. "So you're finally going to shoot? I thought you were saving it for the second half."
Midorima nodded. "The score is tied. As the ace, this is exactly when I should step up."
He dribbled while searching for a rhythm, preparing to rise for his shot. Kota looked at him leisurely and said, "By the way, that green onion you gave me for my birthday last time, that was from you, right?"
Midorima answered seriously, "That was a Senju negi. The lucky item for Virgo."
Kota nodded. "No wonder it looked especially green and really straight. Speaking of which," he added, pointing at Shutoku's bench, "is that potted plant over there today's lucky item?"
Midorima corrected him. "More precisely, it's today's lucky item for Gemini. With the blessing of that pothos, my shots will never miss."
"I see." Kota smiled, then Midorima suddenly took a huge hop step, preparing to pull up from two steps beyond the three-point line. He focused completely on the rim, but suddenly, an external force struck the ball head-on.
Midorima lost his balance as the ball was knocked free. Kota had perfectly read the moment Midorima brought the ball together. He stripped the ball cleanly and smiled. "Attacking mid-sentence isn't a very good habit. You just said this is when the ace needs to stand up. Even if our ace isn't here, I'm not inferior to him in the slightest."
Licking his lips, Kota stared at Midorima's stunned expression. "Come on, Midorima. Give me a bit more pressure. If you don't show me something new, this game might end up being much easier than I expected!"
Kota fired a one-handed long pass to Yuki, who finished effortlessly to give Kaijo the lead. The provocation ignited Midorima's anger. He demanded the ball again, but the result was exactly the same. Smack! Kota stripped him clean once more. This time, Kota pushed the ball himself on a coast-to-coast fast break, lofting a floater softly into the basket.
With back-to-back buckets, Kaijo's lead stretched to four points. Midorima couldn't understand why his supposedly unstoppable pull-up three had lost its effect. Kota, however, knew exactly why. He had analyzed Midorima's game; despite his godlike shooting, Midorima's ability to protect the ball from steals wasn't outstanding. After his journey to China, Kota's steal ability had reached an absolute peak.
Unwilling to accept it, Midorima tried to isolate against Kota again, only to be stripped once more. Shutoku had three consecutive turnovers. Nakatani called yet another timeout.
...
At the Shutoku bench, a towel hung over Midorima's head. He was reeling from being stripped three times in a row. Nakatani's expression was grim. With Taisuke already mentally broken, if Midorima also collapsed, the game was over.
Takao suddenly yanked the towel off Midorima's head and cupped his face. "Shin. Pull yourself together."
"I know… I'm trying," Midorima said weakly.
"Pull yourself together!" Takao repeated, staring straight into his eyes.
"I know! Damn it!" Midorima slammed his fist against the seat. "Kota's steals are incredible. I'll keep trying, but I don't have much confidence. Compared to last year, his growth speed is just inhuman."
Midorima felt a sense of powerlessness he had never known. The terror that the ball would be stolen the moment he touched it filled his heart. He finally understood why Akashi had fallen to Kaijo so many times. Even with Kise absent, Kaijo was radiating the aura of champions.
Just as Midorima's thoughts spiraled, Takao spoke quietly. "Shin, if you could enter the Zone, then we'd still have a chance to turn this around, wouldn't we?"